May 2022
The June 18th assembly in D.C. will be a generationally transformative declaration of the power of poor and low-wealth people and our moral allies to say that this system is killing ALL of us and we can't...we won't...WE REFUSE TO BE SILENT ANYMORE. It is NOT just a day of action. It is a declaration of an ongoing, committed moral movement to 1) Shift the moral narrative; 2) Build power; and 3) Make real policies to fully address poverty and low wealth from the bottom up.
Bishop William J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Co-chairs
The Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
Let's Bend the Arc of Justice on June 18!
We are less than a month away from the historic June 18, 2022 Mass Poor People and Low Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls! This will be a transformative gathering of poor and low wealth people, state leaders, faith communities, moral allies, unions and partnering organizations. Together we are building power for an agenda that lifts all people by challenging the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the false moral narrative of religious nationalism. United for Peace & Justice is proud to be an organizing partner with The Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival! Watch this new 3-minute video, and register to join us in D.C. on June 18! Read more.
TONIGHT Tuesday May 24!
Building a Visionary Antiwar Movement with Rev. William Barber II
Why does the U.S. government have money for war but not for the poor? We must declare that we won't be silent anymore about the war on the poor by ensuring that the Pentagon's bloated budget is cut and redirected to our needs! Join Rev. William J. Barber II, Co-Chair of the Poor People's Campaign, Ramon Mejia, National Organizer with Grassroots Global Justice, and Lindsay Koshgarian, Program Director of the National Priorities Project, TONIGHT, Tuesday, May 24, at 8 pm EDT/5 pm PDT for a discussion on what it will take to build the visionary antiwar movement that our world desperately needs right now, as we get ready to take to the streets in Washington, DC with the Poor People's Campaign on June 18. Register here.
Coming to D.C. for the Poor People's Campaign March?
On June 18, the Poor People's Campaign will hold a mass poor people's assembly and moral march on Washington. CODEPINK and 40 other organizations are teaming up to offer several events before and after the march to help us come together as peace activists and strategize for the future. The night of June 17, we will hold a peace illumination in front of the White House. On June 18, after the march, we'll have a creative teach-in, dinner and cultural showcase. Then on June 19, we're forming working groups for peace to plan for the future. Afterwards, we'll join local Juneteenth celebrations. Learn more and register for these events by clicking here. CODEPINK can also help with affordable lodging.
All Things Fly Apart: The Ukraine War and a Fracturing World
As the Ukraine war grinds on, the political world grows more divided and the poorest and most vulnerable grow more imperiled. The move by the governments of Finland and Sweden towards NATO membership further entrenches Europe's growing confrontation with Russia. The war and sanctions imposed on Russia intensify an existing pandemic-driven global inflation and food crisis, likely resulting in hunger and extreme poverty for hundreds of millions of human beings. Yet the most powerful governments still frame "security" as something achievable by force of arms. Opposition to all this is both fragmented and marginalized by rising tides of nationalism and militarism. We need a new conversation about the path forward. For one approach, see the Athens Declaration, below.
The Athens Declaration: A Call for an End to the Ukraine War and a New Non-Aligned Movement
On May 13, Yanis Varoufakis, Jeremy Corbyn and Ece Temelkuran called for a "new non-aligned movement" to "stand with the people of Ukraine" and "with every people suffering invasion, displacement and occupation," and calling for "an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian forces and a comprehensive Peace Treaty guaranteed by the European Union, the United States and Russia in the context of the United Nations." The Athens Declaration calls for "democrats across the world to join forces in a New Non-Aligned Movement... as the route to lasting peace and a world that can avert climate catastrophe and bequeath to the next generation a decent chance at creating the conditions for globally shared prosperity."
The Largest Protest Ever in the U.S. Was About Eliminating ALL Nuclear Weapons
June 12th marks 40 years since the largest peace demonstration ever occurred in the United States. In 1982, one million people rallied in New York City's Central Park demanding an end to the nuclear arms race. This year there will be two virtual events to commemorate this historic protest. "Commemoration of the Demonstration for Nuclear Disarmament and Human Needs" will take place on June 12th, from NOON to 4pm EDT. There will be speakers and workshops. Information and registration is available here. The second event, "Defuse Nuclear War", will live stream from 4 to 5:30pm EDT, also on June 12th. This event will focus on the present great threats of nuclear war and the imperative to reduce them. Register here.
Mayors for Peace Action Opportunity!
If you live in a city with a population of 30,000, your mayor is probably a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), the nonpartisan association of America's big cities. At its annual meetings the USCM adopts resolutions that become its official policy. For 16 consecutive years the USCM has adopted strong resolutions submitted by U.S. members of Mayors for Peace calling for bold U.S. leadership in global nuclear disarmament. At this year's meeting, June 3 – 6, the USCM will consider a new resolution, Forging a Path to Peace and Common Security, sponsored by Mayors for Peace Vice President Mayor Frank Cownie of Des Moines, Iowa. Please ask your mayor to co-sponsor this resolution by June 3. And, if your mayor is not a member of Mayors for Peace, please ask them to join now! Read more.
Webinar Recording: Global Repercussions: The Ukraine War, Russia, and U.S.–China
This webinar, organized by the Committee for a Sane U.S.-China Policy and co-sponsored by the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, provides an overview of the profound impact of the Ukraine war on U.S.–China relations and on the dynamics of their competition in the Asia-Pacific region. The speakers were Zhiqun Zhu, Professor of Political Science and International Relations and Chair of Department of International Relations at Bucknell University; Shihoko Goto, Director for Geoeconomics and Indo-Pacific Enterprise and Deputy Director for the Asia Program at the Wilson Center; and Michael Klare, The Nation magazine's defense correspondent, and professor emeritus of peace and world-security studies at Hampshire College. Watch the webinar recording here.
Nuclear Dangers in Ukraine with Noam Chomsky and Daniel Ellsberg
On April 29, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation hosted the second discussion in its Zoom series on nuclear dangers arising from Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, featuring Noam Chomsky and Daniel Ellsberg, co-hosted by Cynthia Lazaroff and Richard Falk. At the age of 93, Chomsky hasn't retreated from the world stage, contending, "We're approaching the most dangerous point in human history and are now facing the prospect of the destruction of organized human life on Earth." Author of The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner (2017), Ellsberg was awarded the 2006 Right Livelihood Award "...for putting peace and truth first, at considerable personal risk, and dedicating his life to inspiring others to follow his example." Watch the video recording here.
First Meeting of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Set for June
The first meeting of the States Parties of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will take place in Vienna, Austria June 21-23. The Ukraine war, with Russia invading a country backed by the NATO alliance, brings four nuclear-armed countries into the most dangerous confrontation of the post-Cold War era, highlighting once more the imperative to eliminate the most dangerous of weapons. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is organizing a civil society forum June 18-19 in Vienna, before the TPNW states gather. Find more information on the TPNW here.
Join Korea Peace Advocacy Week June 13-17, 2022
Please join the seventh annual Korea Peace Advocacy week, June 13-17, 2022! During this week, hundreds of people across the country will participate in virtual advocacy meetings to urge their Representatives and Senators to support: a peace agreement to end the Korean War; life-saving humanitarian assistance to North Korea; and other humanitarian issues such as reviewing the travel restrictions, reuniting separated families and repatriating the remains of U.S. service members. Register to participate by May 26. Click here for call scripts to contact your local Senator and Representative. For more information and to take action, click here. Organized by Korea Peace Network, (Korea Peace Now Grassroots Network, Peace Treaty Now, Korea Peace Network).
People's Summit for Democracy – L.A. June 8-10
In the tradition of each Summit of the Americas since the 2005 Mar Del Plata Summit, unionists, activists, grassroots organizations, and progressive people of the Americas are calling for a People's Summit to counter the 9th Summit of the Americas to be held in Los Angeles, CA. The People's Summit will host three days of art, music, speakers, debates, workshops, and panel discussions—all which uplift the voices of the people and imagine a new world that puts people's democracy first. Join the movement to put people before markets and free trade, dignity and democracy before arms deals and regime change, and to discuss the real crises facing our communities throughout the hemisphere.
Afghanistan: What Diplomacy Can Do -- the CODEPINK Women's Peace Delegation
Medea Benjamin and six others from a CODEPINK Women's Peace Delegation met with Taliban officials about Afghan girls receiving high school education. They were told, "We have daughters too." The shelter for Afghan women was not closed by the Taliban. Afghans are holding demonstrations. Rural attitudes are tougher. Face to face diplomacy happened. Watch the recording of this CODEPINK Congress call here. Afghanistan has disappeared from the news, but our government remains responsible for the damage wrought by decades of war there. Take action to tell Biden to unfreeze $7 billion in Afghan funds and provide more humanitarian aid here. Help address starvation. You can donate here.
Venezuelan Feminists Tour the U.S.
CODEPINK and the DSA International Committee teamed up to invite three Venezuelan feminist activists to tour the U.S. and discuss the impact of illegal U.S. sanctions against their country. Between May 28th and June 11th, they will visit 7 cities: NYC, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Durham, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Mónica is a professor who writes a weekly column and studies Afro-Venezuelan traditions. Anggie is a Wayuu activist and educator on Indigenous, sexual, and reproductive rights. Yolimar is an industrial engineer and part of the internationalist brigade of Brazil's Landless Workers Movement (MST) in Venezuela. They will speak about how sanctions disproportionately impact women and children, and how the Venezuelan people are resisting. More info here.
Divest from the War Machine – This Month's Divest Digest
Check out CODEPINK's Divest Digest, a monthly newsletter that offers exciting updates on campaigns throughout the country to divest from military spending. This month, CODEPINK activists attended shareholder meetings for Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics where pleas for peace and human rights were ignored. Divest coalitions are growing, teaching and starting to get results in Rhode Island, Chicago and Philadelphia. New divestment coalitions are sprouting in St. Louis, Chattanooga and Richmond. Read the digest here to get informed and find ways to get involved.
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